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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28753839">The Raid of Nautica Prison</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ledouxe/pseuds/Ledouxe'>Ledouxe</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Emerald Acinonyx [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dungeons &amp; Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Dungeons &amp; Dragons - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Dark Comedy, Diary/Journal, Dungeons &amp; Dragons 5th Edition, Funny, Gen, Military, No Dungeons &amp; Dragons Knowledge Required, Tabaxi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 04:07:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,228</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28753839</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ledouxe/pseuds/Ledouxe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>This story was adapted from the events of a session of D&amp;d 5e but is written to be even read by people with no knowledge of of D&amp;d. its in the style of a  Journal  with an in fiction foreword like its a historical text.</p><p>This is my first time posting here and my first piece of writing like this so constructive feedback is welcome!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Emerald Acinonyx [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2108055</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Raid of Nautica Prison</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Foreword by the Archivist: </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The subject of this journal entry is a raid to rescue a captured ward of The High Empress’s. This took place before her ascension to the throne while she was still crown princess at age 24, in the late medieval period. It is unclear how long after the events she recorded this in one of her journals as she had a rather chaotic method of organizing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>On the raid of Nautica Prison</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Three days had passed since we had received word from a more or less friendly local militia that they had found out what had happened to Boone. Me and my two traveling companions had taken charge of the dumbass some months earlier. We had all spent about six months traveling with him, we even joked about him being Glencross’s son, so you can imagine our anger when he had been kidnapped. Vows of vengeance, curses to the gods, irrational fury, those sorts of things. Now between his disappearance and our hearing of this news was about two and a half weeks and we couldn’t let this opportunity to find him slip by, however our lives had gotten a bit chaotic so we decided to split up to each handle our own projects. Mine was to rescue Boone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was sheer luck that my reinforcements sent from my home a month before arrived and met up with me as I was traveling to meet the militia. I had messaged my family, who I had not seen since I was 16 and had had only periodic contact with (to let them know I was still alive), that I was on the major island of Vizima and that maybe it was time that I take my proper place. I had left cause as kid I had no choice in anything but on Vizima, it was different. My family conceded and sent me a force of 3,000 soldiers to command. A detachment of which met up with me with a trireme. I took command for the first real time. My soldiers, my army, my navy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The militia agreed to meet us at sea and so we sailed off to meet them. Our journey took us to the northern waters. The cold night air flew past as we switched to sails. The full moon gave good visibility as we spotted a galley flying the militia’s flag. We approached and me and two of my marines boarded the vessel to meet with the leader, Stella. We had met before, she tried to imprison me so naturally we get along great. To be fair I had just killed two of her men but that whole day was a clusterfuck that I won’t get into right now. The point is I DO NOT LIKE THEM. But if I could use them I was going to. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They informed me they believed Booney boy was being held at Nautica prison by the government of Peasenquite (a local city state that everyone else on the island despised for their tendency to interfere where they don’t belong) because of his elder blood. They feared if the circle of Druids got their hands on him they could use him in some apocalyptic spell. Though honestly the safest place for him was with us, the three most capable people on the island. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Instead they decided to put him on some rock out in the northeast sea. The militia had already gathered some intel on the island prison that I was happy to take, though I would do my own reconnaissance to corroborate their work. The first step after this was to make a plan of attack. The prison had only one intended entrance, a set of docks that protruded from a cave on the west side. Of the buildings on the surface only one had any doors. Those opened to the yard. There were also four towers, two covering the yard and two facing out covering the island facing away from the docks. The next point is key, the warden lived on the island in a small house roughly in the north west corner. The militia had managed to keep track of when the warden left for the prison each morning, giving me an opening to exploit. The only other avenue to explore was on the south side of the island (as the east was too exposed to the towers) where a forest went all the way up to a sheer cliff that would be impassable to most. But not to my shield bearers, who were skilled climbers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>My first goal was rescuing Boone safely, and his best chance was if I maintained control of the situation. So the best case scenario is that I get the lad out without anyone noticing anything is wrong. However sneaking him out was too dangerous because if anything went wrong I would be at a severe disadvantage if I had to fight my way out. Prisons are for keeping people in after all. The key to situations like this is leveraging any advantage you can get, so I turned my sights to the warden who’s name I never have found out (nor have I cared to, as I took a liking to the name given to him by my men and I will be using it from here on out). Warden Asshat’s house was a weak point and so was he. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>My final plan called for two teams and the trireme’s onager (an anything but subtle weapon). Me and four shield bearers would approach from the north and capture the warden at his home at 3:00 am, while the other team of two scouts, guess what, would scout out the forest. The trireme would wait in the fog for my signal to if necessary fire on the docks with flaming pots of oil. This was in case we couldn't do things so subtly. Naturally not my first gambit but the chaos of a fire could give us cover for a hasty escape. It is suicidal to hope any plan is executed perfectly and not plan contingencies. Using my magic both ground teams could talk to the ship and could relay info. This would later prove useful as, SPOILER, the raid did not go as planned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As midnight approached me and one the four shield bearers waited silently as we rowed to shore the fog hid us as the boat roughly touched the shore. Me and my men clambered undignifiedly out of the rowboat and slowly approached the house of warden Asshat. As we crept through the shadow of the cottage I made sure to keep track of the widows on the house. There were two on the second floor. Both dark. I peaked around the side, no one. Me and two soldiers went on the left and two others went left. When we rounded the corner to the front side of the house. There was a small porch with a chair on it. In the chair, a guard with a crossbow, fast asleep, very professional. Me and my troops relaxed a bit and we dropped our combat stance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hit him over the head if he looks like he's about to wake up” I ordered one of my men.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded and I left him and one other. The rest of us scouted out the immediate area and the exterior of the house. I detected magic around the perimeter of each of the windows and doors. I surmised an alarm spell. But other than that nothing of note. We had about two and a half hours before we planned to take action. Most people's circadian rhythm puts them in their deepest sleep around this time. This fact will help both in trivia games and if you need to plan a home invasion. So we waited.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>About thirty minutes before we were set to take action, the ship sent word that one of the scouts had been injured by a beast in the forest. This wasn't great but they could get out safely and they reported on the perimeter wall on the south side of the prison. But the best approach still seemed to be the warden. I ordered the scouts to return to the ship and for the ship to dispatch two shield bearers to land on the south side of the dock. There they could wait and support us at the house if we needed help. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When 3:00 am came the world's most professional prison guard was still asleep, </span>
  <span>but he was in for a rude awakenin</span>
  <span>g. That is to say I carefully extricated his crossbow from his arms (it was loaded by the way, I was honestly shocked he had managed to live this long) while a shield bearer approached from behind. I nodded and my man swept the chair out from under him. we covered his mouth  to stifle his inevitable scream. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you make any noise without permission you are gonna end up dead. Do you understand?” I hissed at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded terrified </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is the house alarmed?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded fearing for his life </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is there a way through without setting it off?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded staving off a panic attack</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pulled a small slightly glowing key, from around his neck shakily handing it to me</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tie him up and gag him”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Two of my troops handled him while the rest entered through the front door. The key did its job. The first floor had two rooms, a kitchen and a small living space. A cursory search revealed nothing but a sad existence. Upstairs was an office behind a second locked door but using the same key. It's shit like that that makes me wonder. Regardless the other room was a sad bed room with a sad man in it. My shield bearers readied their spears. I jumped up on the bed and threw him to the floor. My troops encircled him and I casually hopped down as he tried to orient himself. I grabbed him by his collar and picked him up off the ground. It's worth noting I’m 6’4 and he was at most 5’2.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Defy me at your peril.” I informed him in a matter of fact tone</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine” he grumbled at me and I dragged him into the office. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you have a prisoner manifest here?” I asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He grumbled roughly affirmatively and I asked “where?” he pointed to a ledger on his desk</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I examined the manifest and found many political prisoners along with the rest who were mostly violent murders and the like. Boone was with the political inmates, number 623. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I'm only going to say this once, you are going to order a transfer for prisoner 623 they will be handed over to troops on a trireme for extradition” I used a firm voice, stating this as fact not a command. “If you don't I’m going to throw you through that window and you will not live through the day.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine” he snarled with contempt “I have a messaging artifice at on my desk”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>I sat him down, there was indeed a magic device there that he picked up. He paused for just a moment and I should have killed him right then and there. I reacted just too slow when I realized he decided to make this complicated. A siren went off in the distance. I gave him a blank stare, grabbed him by his beard and defenestrated him. I jumped through after him, landing quite gracefully if I do say so myself. The warden was facedown in the mud. I used a cantrip (a simple spell casters can use with minimal effort) to blast through the back of his knee to keep him from running. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Orders?’ my sergeant asked </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Defensive positions, me up front, one of you upstairs and cover us with that crossbow.” I relayed calmly</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>We readied ourselves to fight, but I hoped we could still get out of this without too much collateral damage. We spotted a party of about 35 guards moving towards us from the docks. As they approached, the ship informed me they were having trouble raising the two soldiers I sent south of the docks. I picked the warden up again to hold as a hostage when the party of guards got close. I'm a powerful caster but we only have a limited well of magic to draw on before I need to rest and I definitely couldn't take all of those guards even with my shield bearers. So my best option was a hostage exchange, Boone for warden Asshat and old custōdī optimae magnae. The guards loosely formed a circle about 40 ft from the house </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now bring me prisoner 623 and we’ll give you back your warden!” I bellowed at top of my lungs in a deep, commanding officer voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was some bustle in the crowd. It looked like there were two gapes in it but I couldn't get a good look.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A gruff man in a red military beret stepped forward.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you in charge of this mob?” I asked </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am major Ivan.” he said “and we'll exchange our warden for your rabbit-chasers we caught near the docks!” as he turned and pointed back at the crowd</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two shield bearers who the ship had lost contact with were brought up through the mob. Major Ivan turned back looking quite smug. I proceeded to laugh my fucking ass off. He went from confident to confused in a flash. But that only made it better. It was like someone announcing confidently “king me!” while playing chess! Obviously I wanted this to go off without even any injuries but this was </span>
  <b>
    <em>war.</em>
  </b>
  <span> I am a general leading an army and he had merely captured a fraction of a percent of my force. Not to mention the shield bearers are some of the most committed to the cause. They would literally fight and die for me. So I laughed in his face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>I think it was in this moment he realized he had lost control  that he never  had. But his moment of clarity leading to more confusion was brief. I in my genuine laughter had created an opening. The guards holding their captives had lowered their arms and had their attention firmly on me not the two shield bearers. So I cast blight on poor  major Ivan. Blight is a nasty spell, like contracting the worst forms of 50 different diseases all at once. He collapsed dead. The two captured shield bearers took their chance and grabbed the weapons of their captors. The Guards had been hasty and only tied their hands up, and you can still fight with a sword like that.  They quickly formed up with us before the guards could react.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>I quickly scanned the guards and picked out the most timid one “you!” I ordered, “put the beret on, you’re the new major Ivan”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He meagerly stepped forward but a burly guard cut him and picked the hat up and placed it on his head “I'm the new major Ivan and I'm gonna avenge him” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He got about five feet before I smote him with another spell</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>I thought “might as well” and said to the warden “That beret seems pretty unlucky, if you don't tell them to bring me Boone I'll put it on you and make you </span>
  <em>
    <span>pray To ME </span>
  </em>
  <span>for death.” I also used another cantrip to create an illusion in my eyes, making them seem to glow and shift with green and black eldritch power.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>I saw true terror in his eyes and he scrambled and pleaded “one of you bastards just fucking shoot me! "Someone in the crowd compiled as a bolt went straight between his eyes (though in retrospect it may have just been bad aim on a bolt meant for me). This was the last straw for me and these idiots.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“FUCK IT!” I shouted and cast shatter, a spell that causes a ten foot diameter explosion, into the center of the guards. All hell proceeded to break loose. The mob disintegrated with most fleeing as the fight started. The few that stood to fight were cut down by my troops or by my magic. As soon as the madness broke out the onager started fling incendiaries at the prison and we charged our way in. All meaningful resistance had been broken. Any who tried to stop us perished.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>We Passed through the docks, sparing the guards distracted by putting out fires. There were some who dropped their weapons and surrendered, we passed them by. We entered through the mouth of the cave into the underground and found the main entrance had been left open by guards retreating further into the prison. I hit the hinges with a cantrip to prevent us getting trapped and entered the inner tunnels. A short way in ten guards had stacked some furniture as a barricade. I used my last major spell to cast shatter again; the makeshift barrier exploded, sending shrapnel into the guards. My men used their shields as cover while I stayed standing, they then moved forward and finished off the stranglers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>One I picked one up that was bleeding out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Which way to cell 623?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He feebly pointed, after which I put him out of his misery</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> We found the cell with Boone alive but wounded. He had an infection but it wasn't life threatening. I first escorted Boone to the docks where our ship had arrived. I helped Boone aboard and made sure he found the doctor. I then took my team back towards the prison. The  guards still alive had stopped fighting as they had realized we weren't killing those who surrendered. I used the manifest to find all the political prisoners and offered them refuge. They all happily accepted. I told the remaining guards that if they wished I would ferry them back to mainland but if they stayed the would almost assuredly die. Most took up my offer but some stubborn idiots stayed behind with the murderous criminals. The last thing I would do before I left was recover the body of warden asshat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dawn had come as we left the charred docks. I had the ship hold offshore and sent my entire supply of flaming oil down on the island. I was careful and chose my targets with purpose. Soon the whole island was engulfed in an inferno. It had a certain beauty. My mission was a complete mess, but  ended better than I could have hoped for. The political prisoners would become valuable allies in the coming conflict and Boone was safe. There was only one thing yet to be resolved. I made a promise to Warden Asshat and I'll die before fail to follow through on a threat. Most of my magic is offensive or utilitarian but I have a relationship with a certain abomination from beyond this realm and it certainly is a fan of eldritch threats. I managed to convince it to help me out on this one. He defied nature and brought warden Asshat back from death.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>I was the first thing he saw, I put that beret on his head and kindly said “you really are foolish major Ivan to think death is any real obstacle to someone like me.” </span>
</p><p>
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